Pat’s Wildways: Fernandina Fossils

Finding fossilized shark teeth on our beaches has a long tradition on Amelia Island. When I first moved here years ago, I, too, had the “collecting shark teeth bug.” I spent countless hours walking our beaches and spending much of that time looking at my feet, hoping for a glimpse of one of these natural treasures. Ultimately, I had a whole jar full, but then my interest faded, my time on the beach shortened, and my patience level for staring at the sand diminished. Now I am happy to let others pick up the challenge. And how many others there are these days! Just a quick look at Facebook reveals a number of groups dedicated to finding fossilized shark teeth on Amelia Island, some with thousands of followers. By now the once prime shark tooth hunting grounds around the Fort Clinch jetties have been “discovered,” and any low tide brings out hordes of collectors.

And what can people do with these natural finds? Simple! Head to Fernandina Fossils on Ash Street and they will help you identify them, make them into jewelry, display them or even sell them — even small broken ones for a small price. But these prices build up. One kid sold so many little fossilized tooth fragments that he was able to save enough money to buy a large perfect fossilized tooth. Another extraordinary event happened when two people brought halves of a large tooth into the shop, and they matched!

And how do I know this? Well, it was a rainy day in Fernandina and I was doing my own hunting, not for fossils but for a story, my weekly column. After a couple of decades of writing these, each week becomes a search for yet another idea. I was driving down Ash Street and there it was, Fernandina Fossils, a shop I’d heard about but never explored. And wow, it’s about time!

Fernandina Fossils is much more than a shop that sells fossils. It is a community resource, a curated museum collection of rarities, a gift shop, a learning experience for children, and a pleasure to visit just to look around, all housed in a building built in the late 1800s. When I first entered the shop for the first time, the owner and founder, Cheryl Wilson, soon gave me a royal tour. I was amazed at the diversity of fossils, some of which I had never even heard of.

Did you know you can collect some extinct fossilized scallop shells, called pectens, from our beaches? These hard shells resemble modern-day scallops, but the ridges are much deeper than those living today. They are often found upside down in the sand, so check out the examples at Fernandina Fossils to get a search image, then start looking. Fewer people are looking for these and, although rare, you might have a better chance of finding one — a multi-million-year-old natural treasure. Cheryl and her team not only display these shells, but they also collaborate with the University of Florida Museum staff to identify the different species.

Fernandina Fossils has far too many treasures to itemize in this column, like the very rare fossilized shark rostral node found by local resident Emily Delrio and proudly displayed in the glass central cabinet reserved for local finds. This rare fossil impressed the University of Florida experts, some of whom have never even seen one in person. Other fossils in this cabinet have been loaned by other locals and displayed along with name tags identifying their finder.

Fernandina Fossils is more than a museum, display and gift shop. Thanks partly to a grant from Fernandina Main Street, there are children’s activities here too. Homeschoolers can learn about fossils in a small classroom area. And, when it’s not raining like it was the day I visited, children can dig in a sandbox in their back patio area to find shark teeth of their own. Here’s where those little tooth fragments that are donated or bought for a pittance from local kids find their use—a treasure for someone else to find. How perfect!

Now that I know about Fernandina Fossils, I will become a regular, checking in with the staff to see their new finds. And, here’s hoping you find them too at 508 Ash St. There is definitely something for everyone in that shop! A special place! Check it out!

Pat Foster-Turley, Ph.D., is a zoologist on Amelia Island. She welcomes your nature questions and observations. Patandbucko@yahoo.com